Shikotsumyaku and Great Fireball

"What! What is happening?" In that instant, a loud buzz echoed in Wu Hai's mind. The surrounding Lava Cave vanished abruptly, and the next moment, he was horrified to discover that numerous stakes had been driven into his limbs and body. A piercing pain struck him instantly, and he lost all control over his body, as if he had been nailed to the ground.

"Ahhhhh!" Wu Hai screamed at the top of his lungs. He had clearly been attacking that white-haired youth, so why had the scene changed to this? What exactly had happened just a moment ago?

A flash of light flickered, and Lin Chuan's figure suddenly appeared before Wu Hai. His blood-red eyes stared fixedly at Wu Hai, who was trapped by the Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique; no matter how he struggled, he could not break free from the restraints.

"Since you forced me to use the Sharingan to cast the Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, then let me help you experience the pain this technique brings." Lin Chuan's voice seemed to come from all directions, slamming into Wu Hai's soul.

"Ah! Who on earth are you? Let me go!!" Wu Hai roared in extreme terror. The sensation of those stakes being driven into his body was so real; he had never seen such a bizarre and powerful attack, let alone known how to break it.

Back then, Uchiha Itachi used this move to instantly defeat Orochimaru, forcing Orochimaru to sever his own arm to break free. While the Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique cast by Lin Chuan now did not reach the level of Itachi, it was more than enough to deal with Wu Hai.

In the distance, seeing Wu Hai rush toward Lin Chuan, Qin Lang wore a bitter smile of regret. He looked up at the unseen sky and murmured to himself, "In the end, am I still unable to protect the things I cherish? Jing Ru... it seems I truly cannot go back... I hope you forget me... I am ultimately so weak... powerless to resist... and powerless to change the fate of you and me..."

Bu Lianshi shook her head bitterly. This moment had finally arrived. She and Qin Lang had fought with all their might, yet they had only managed to delay the inevitable for a short while. In the end, they had failed to stop the invading enemies and failed to protect the companions they cherished. "Brother Lin Chuan, I do not regret coming to the Southern Bright Continent. The warmth I have felt here is more than all the time I spent in the Central River Continent..."

The next moment, just as everyone looked toward the cave, waiting to see Lin Chuan splattered with blood, a bizarre scene unfolded.

From their vantage point, they could only see Wu Hai's fist raised high, yet the figure stood frozen before Lin Chuan, motionless as if fixed in place.

"What is Boss Wu Hai doing? Why hasn't he struck yet!!" The others watched the scene in the cave with confusion.

"What on earth is happening!!"

Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang also stared into the cave in astonishment. The two, who had already prepared themselves for death, looked toward Lin Chuan as if experiencing a final burst of life, just in time to see Lin Chuan slowly rising to his feet.

"Ah! Who on earth are you? Let me go!!"

Wu Hai's sudden, terrified scream shattered the silence of the place. Everyone stared at Wu Hai in the cave in utter shock, unable to understand what had happened! Wu Hai clearly wasn't being restrained by anyone, so why was he shouting to be let go?

What made their hair stand on end even more was the sheer terror revealed in Wu Hai's words. The shrill, miserable scream—as if he had seen a ghost—made everyone present feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, their spines chilling!

"How...?"

Before the crowd could recover from their shock, they suddenly saw a white, bone-like object pierce through Wu Hai's back.

"What... is that?"

At this moment, everything was shrouded in a bizarre atmosphere. Whether it was the men Wu Hai had brought or Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi, everyone felt as if they were being watched by a sharp blade. All of them stopped fighting, staring at the strange scene unfolding in the cave.

"Having experienced the Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, now, die!"

A cold, emotionless voice rang out. Immediately, Lin Chuan withdrew his palm from Wu Hai's left chest, and along with it, a sharp bone protruding from his palm was pulled out.

Thud!

The next moment, Lin Chuan kicked out, sending the already dead Wu Hai flying toward the lava lake in the center of the cave, kicking up a massive spray of crimson magma.

"Boss!!"

"Wu Hai was actually killed by that white-haired youth? How is this possible...!!"

At this moment, Lin Chuan finished recovering his physical mobility, which he had bought time for using the Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique. His blood-red Sharingan slowly faded, replaced by the Byakugan.

"Lin Chuan, you..." Qin Lang looked at Lin Chuan in shock. Was this still the companion they knew? It seemed his strength had reached a realm they dared not imagine.

"Rest! Leave the rest to me!" Lin Chuan's body surged forward instantly, charging toward the remaining eleven people. He had to dispose of these people as quickly as possible; the spiritual energy within him had not yet been fully refined, and there was a constant risk of it erupting.

Swish!

Appearing before one of them almost like a teleportation, Lin Chuan made no wasted movements and slapped his palm toward the man's chest.

The enemy's reaction was not slow. The moment Lin Chuan's right hand struck, he had already crossed his arms in front of his chest to defend. Moreover, in his eyes, Lin Chuan only had the cultivation of the third level of the Qi Refining Stage and was not to be feared.

Although he didn't know what sorcery the white-haired youth had used to kill the heavily injured Wu Hai, there were eleven experts here above the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage; killing Lin Chuan should have been as easy as turning over one's hand.

However, the next moment, his chest was pierced through. In the final moment of his fading life, he vaguely saw a sharp bone protruding from the white-haired youth's palm, which had pierced through his arms and plunged directly into his heart.

"That is... his bone... how is it possible..."

Just as Lin Chuan killed that man, a figure flashed from behind him with cold, murderous intent. A long sword appeared in his hand, thrusting straight at Lin Chuan's back. In everyone's eyes, this strike was foolproof, as it was a long-planned sneak attack from Lin Chuan's blind spot.

Unfortunately, to Lin Chuan's Byakugan, such a sneak attack was utterly laughable. Without even turning his head, Lin Chuan struck the man's chest with his right elbow. His arm bone pierced out in an instant, precisely and viciously plunging into the man's heart.

"What is that thing..."

"Bone... that is his bone... he is actually using his own bone to attack..."

"What kind of monster is he!!"

Everyone wore expressions of extreme horror at this moment, looking at the white-haired youth as if he were a monster as his arm bone slowly retracted into his body, and they retreated involuntarily.

The stinging pain within Lin Chuan's body continued to surge. He knew he didn't have much time left, and there was only one way to quickly resolve the trouble before him!

His hands rapidly formed seals before his chest, and Sage Chakra gathered rapidly along his meridians toward his mouth.

"Sage Art: Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"